St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-11-26

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| met prominent Republicans nearly
every day, sometimes at my old friends,
| room at Wormley's Hotel,
someJlmes at their residences, and still
more frequently at the capitol, but |
had no negotiations, no understandings.
no conferences, no bargains.
From my seat in the house I defended
| the fair name of the people of Louisi-
ana. | set forth the result Of tho cleo
| ton, parish by parish, their claims to
the right of self government, The evils
! of carpet-bag and negro domination, the
earnest purpose of our people to abide
| by the results Of the war, the constltu-
| tIonal amendments and the abolition of
negro slavery, and | also declared that
| they would no longer submit to the de-
grading tyranny OF their tlespoilers. l
| knew their sentiments, and never heS-
| ltated to express them.
| | knew from the gentlemen who be-
came members of President Hayes
cabinet what his policy would be, and
| later and before his inauguration what
| his own views were. ! felt that the
| troops would not be withdrawn until
| the presidential count was finished, for
| if Nichols became governor 1t would
be difficult to sustain Hayes claim to
| the vote of Louisiana. But that as soon
as the count was completed the order
would be gwen provided there was no
bloodshed in New Orleans.
TIE HAYES COMMISSION
was appointed contrary to my wishes.
1t came TO Louisiana. / met it only on
one occasion. 1t was composed of
Wayne McNelgh, whom | knew better
I perhaps than | know any gentleman
here to-day. except General Nichols.
| We were classmates at Yale, and lntl-
mate friends of Governor John 4. Brown
who commanded a Tennessee brigade in
| Blecklnridge's Division. where COM
manded Louisiana brigade. You can
imagine how friendly we could become
under such circumstances. A third
| member OF the commission was Judge
Harlan of Kentucky, whom / knew we'll
III boy hood. The fourth member was
a Yale College man, and Yale
| college men stick together like army
comrades. The fifth member was Judge
Lawrence of Illinois, connection by
marriage. 1t would appear at least
| that the commission was composed of
| personal friends of mine; but | had
| nothing to do with it, and my only
communication with the state govern
| ment was through Governor Nichols.
| On the adjournment of congress the
| delegation thai had been representing
| she people of Louisiana at ashingt0n
| in respect to these interesting matters
| were now returning home to be- present
| while the commission was i'll New Or
| leans.
On the train was that genial gentle
| man and ACCOMPLISHED jurlst, VIM. NJ.
| Levy. There was seated IN the same
car gentleman whose eIoQuence you
are no strangers to, and which L have
seen often eleCtrlfy the house of repre-
sentatives of the United States. and felt
! my bosom swell with pride when heard
the words that fell from the lips of L.
John Ellis. We were seated on this
train
GOING 10 LOUISIANA.
and feeling that we carried the desIinies
of our state III our hands, strange as 1t
may seem.
Levy said: Have you prepared a
speech for our reception in New Or
| leans?"
| asked: What do you mean?"
He repled: My God. don't you know
that the people are going to turn out in
New Orleans and give us a reception :!
We have saved the state"
answered: There are more saviors
in the state of Louisiana than there
are voters. If we escape criticism and
censure we will do we'll. Louisiana is q
y A
Ellis remarked: 1T is not possible
that Won can really take such view of
things
Ireplied: Eyes. 1t reminds me of a
story | once read of Cicero the great
Roman orator and statesman. His first
appointment was the governorship of
Sicily. All the other governors of the
island had robbed 1t and enriched
themselves, and returned to Rome to
triu ha of fha bands nf fha
Roman people. Even in that day
sometimes the politicians were received
with bands of music and triumphal
professions which they furnished the
money to pay for, and SO it was with
the governors of Sicily. They paid the
expenses of their triumphs and ova-
lions. Cicero, however, played the
part of an honest man in Sicily, and
there having occurred o great famine
with corn in abundance. He said TO
himself that, having performed this
great public service. he would
return to Rome and receive an ovation
at the hands of the Roman people.
Finally, on his way he arrived at Putea,
in southern Italy, watering place
where the elite of the capital congre-
gated. He met there two friends, dis
tinguished men, one of whom said:
}
see you. When did you come from
Rome p Cicero replied: / have not
been to Rome for several years; but
have been on the foreign service
Why remarked another friend, don't
you know that Cicero has been
serving IN African The most enlight-
ened Of his friends did not know where
Cicero had been on duty, and when we
go to Louisiana nobody will know what
we have been dong in Washington.
And what have we been doing! Simply
kept Grant FROM using tho. United
States army in Louisiana. What we
have done will seem small service so far
away. Washington Is long ways from
Louisiana"
Well, the commission arrived in New
Orleans. A short time afterwards Nc
Weigh came to my Office. He said:
Gibson, we will have to give it up.
We cannot get what we want, not by
the exercise of authority, but by sug
costing to your friends here to make
concessions If the president shall with
draw the troops. We can do nothing.
Nichols won't say yea or nay. and
Chief justice Manning receives us as If
he was chief justice of the United
| States, with a magnificent display of
decorum that overwhelmed the COM
mission. wish you and your friends
| would meet the commission"
| said would go to see the commits
sion with him, and sent for Governor
Nichols, Hon. LOUIS Bush and Judge
f. ID. White.
The commission announced their pur-
pose to advise the president to with
| came to the st. Charles Hotel that
NIGHT Certain raSnlutiona had heau